Buttercup Croquettes

1 kg butternut squash
3 slices bacon
½ onion
½ tbsp butter
½ tsp SIDS SALT & PEPPER
3 cups rice bran oil
BREADING:--
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 large egg
½ cup panko
¼ tsp SIDS CRAZY SALT

Remove seeds and pith from the squash and cut into big chunks, about 5 cm pieces.
Set up the steamer. (use a steamer basket inside the dutch oven here) Steam the squash for 20 minutes until tender (enough that you can mash with fork) but don’t overcook.
While steaming the squash, mince the onion. Slice parallel to the grain, slice against the grain cut into cubes, and chop into even smaller pieces.
Cut the bacon into small bits. For a better texture, best the bacon is about 6 mm.
Heat the butter in a large frying pan over medium. Add the onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes, then add the bacon. Cook until the onion is translucent, tender, and nicely brown. Set aside until the squash is done with steaming.
Remove the squash from the pot to cool to touch. (but still warm) Remove the skin using a knife or spoon.
Transfer all the squash in a large bowl and mash with a fork.
Add the onion and bacon mixture to the mashed squash. Try to avoid adding excess oil, which could make the mixture too wet. Season with SIDS SALT & PEPPER.
Combine well together. Using a cookie scoop, make it into ball shape. (I can usually make 15-18 balls with ½ squash)
Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 15 minutes to make squash balls firmer.
Mix SIDS CRAZY SALT with the flour.
Add 1 tbsp water to the beaten egg. Coat squash balls in flour then roll in egg mixture, and finally panko.
Cover with plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. (During this time, the flour absorbs moisture. As a result, it’ll be less splatter in oil and the batter becomes sticker and won’t come off while deep frying. Also, if you deep fry the food when it's still warm, the steam inside the filling will get hot and try to escape, which will end up exploding in the hot oil)
When it’s almost 30 minutes, start heating up the oil to 170°C in a pot. Insert the long chopsticks, and when you see small bubbles appear around them, it’s ready to deep fry the croquette. The filling of the croquette is cooked already, so all you need is to fry the coating until golden brown.
Transfer golden squash croquette to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towel. Sprinkle some SIDS SALT & PEPPER.